Anil Menon's Mission: Science and Medicine on the International Space Station
Anil Menon is heading up for his first big trip. He’s an Indian-origin NASA astronaut. He’s going to the International Space Station starting July 14th. Eight months of it. That’s what’s planned a long expedition focused on keeping people healthy, some new tech, and prepping for those deep space voyages down the line.
He won't be alone. Menon is launching aboard a Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft. He goes with Russian cosmonauts, Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. They’re part of Expeditions 74 and 75. They’ll be orbiting before they come home in April 2027. That’s a long haul just waiting to happen.
Who is this guy? Anil Menon. He’s an emergency medicine doctor, right? But he also has that military background a colonel in the US Space Force. His career is kind of a mix: medicine, the military, and spaceflight itself. It’s not a straight line, you know?
He started his NASA time back in 2014. He was there as a flight surgeon, looking after astronauts living and working on the ISS. That experience really shapes what he brings to the table.
Then things shifted. In 2018, he moved over to SpaceX. There, he got involved with their medical program. He helped get some of those first human spaceflight missions off the ground. And he contributed to Starship development too. You know, the stuff meant for going to the Moon and Mars eventually. It’s all connected, in a complicated way.
Before all that, there were other things he did. Serving with the US Air Force during Operation Enduring Freedom. Then working on medical stuff outside of space helping climbers up Mount Everest with the Himalayan Rescue Association. That kind of experience sticks with you.
NASA picked him as an astronaut in December 2021. After that, he went through the two-year training program. It took time, a lot of work just to get there.
Now back to what he’ll actually be doing up there. What research is this all about? It's not just staring out the window. He’s going to run experiments. Stuff aimed at figuring out how the human body handles being in space for a really long time.
Think about microgravity . How does it mess with blood flow? How do veins change? How does the blood itself adjust when you stop fighting gravity all the time? Those are the kinds of physiological effects he’ll be testing. The goal is to figure out how to keep people healthy, not just survive a short trip.
And there's the fluid stuff. He’s also going to test if they can make intravenous fluids using the ISS potable water system. That capability feels huge. It seems absolutely vital for missions further out Moon, Mars, whatever deep space we end up needing to go. When you’re way out there, resupply isn't an option. Medical supplies? Limited.
But it’s not just about fluids. There’s the tech side too. Menon will help test ways to produce semiconductor crystals right there in space. Scientists are betting that manufacturing those kinds of materials in microgravity changes things. It could improve components for super high-performance computing, AI systems, even advanced medical gear. Imagine making better chips floating around.
And then there’s the diagnostic side. He’ll also be looking into using ultrasound combined with augmented reality and artificial intelligence tools. The idea is that astronauts can use this to check on themselves. Diagnose conditions independently. Less reliance on someone back on Earth for every little medical call. It's about self-sufficiency up there.
All these experiments, they tie together into something bigger. They’re part of a much larger push to figure out how we sustain crews when the missions get longer. How you keep people functional over extended periods away from home. It feels like preparing for things that are still theoretical right now, but it has to be done.
It's a lot happening all at once. The science, the medicine, the hardware all wrapped up in this long flight. And Menon is central to seeing if these ambitious goals can actually be achieved. It’s just... happening.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
More from World
View All
General Qamar Javed Bajwa Health and Background
It’s hard to process all this information without a clear structure. It just kind of… piles up. So, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The former Chief of Army Staff. Things got complicated for him recently. He’s been re-admitted to the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi. That’s what we hear from peop
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
Iran's Memorial Ceremony and the Absence of Supreme Leader Khamenei
Iran announced something next week. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is holding a memorial ceremony for his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, down in Tehran. But whether he will actually show up? nobody really knows yet. The notice said it was for the "martyred mujahid Imam." It’s scheduled for July 23
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
The Global Impact and Human Cost of Extreme Weather Disasters
The air in Taizhou was thick with smoke that tasted like ash and panic. A major fire, started by whatever residual heat or downed lines could manage, broke out right there amid the chaos of Typhoon Bavi. It wasn’t just a local blaze; it felt like the whole area was burning under the pressure of the
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
Masked Mourner at Ayatollah Khamenei’s Funeral: Speculation and Revelation
That masked mourner at Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral really got everyone talking about who he was. People online were immediately speculating, wondering if it might have been Mojtaba Khamenei himself in disguise. It just added another layer of mystery to the whole affair. The disappearance of Mojtaba
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
Latest Headlines
Retired Army Officer Fights for Stolen Agricultural Land in Rajasthan
92-year-old retired Army officer Captain Chunni Lal is now in a fight. Not against enemies on the battlefield, but something his family calls the "fourth battle" a legal struggle to get back the agricultural land he claims was stolen from him in Rajasthan. It all started with allegations that the la
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
New Laws and Legal Framework in West Bengal
Monday kicks off some major changes in West Bengal. The government is pushing through two new laws: the Public Safety and Control of Anti-social Activities Act, 2026, and an amendment to the Maintenance of Public Order Act. They’re bringing a whole new legal framework into play right away. This stuf
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
Dolly Javed's Exit and Regrets from The Alliance
Dolly Javed got kicked out of The Alliance. That’s what happened in the recent episodes. And after she left, she went and talked to News18 Showsha. It was an exclusive chat, sort of. She just blasted Kushal Tandon. Said he was so egoistic. She claimed he was trying to overpower everyone. Manipulate
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
Accident Involving Two Kids in Chandigarh
Two kids got seriously hurt Saturday night. They were hit by a speeding Mercedes right outside a club in Chandigarh’s Sector 26 area. A video of the whole thing is already floating around social media now, you know. The footage itself shows the car moving way too fast before it smashed into the two
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
General Qamar Javed Bajwa Health and Background
It’s hard to process all this information without a clear structure. It just kind of… piles up. So, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The former Chief of Army Staff. Things got complicated for him recently. He’s been re-admitted to the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi. That’s what we hear from peop
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
Iran's Memorial Ceremony and the Absence of Supreme Leader Khamenei
Iran announced something next week. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is holding a memorial ceremony for his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, down in Tehran. But whether he will actually show up? nobody really knows yet. The notice said it was for the "martyred mujahid Imam." It’s scheduled for July 23
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
Energy Supply Security for India Amid US-Iran Conflict
The latest phase of that US-Iran war just keeps raising the alarm bells about energy supplies for India. We’re talking about LPG, LNG, and crude oil availability. Back in the beginning of this conflict, when those US strikes hit Iran killing Ali Khamenei the fear was already there: supply disruption
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
The Global Impact and Human Cost of Extreme Weather Disasters
The air in Taizhou was thick with smoke that tasted like ash and panic. A major fire, started by whatever residual heat or downed lines could manage, broke out right there amid the chaos of Typhoon Bavi. It wasn’t just a local blaze; it felt like the whole area was burning under the pressure of the
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
Ida Ali's Engagement Story and Background
Ida Ali, you know, she’s the daughter of Imtiaz Ali. Filmmaker, writer. And now she’s engaged to Krish Agarwal. It came out pretty suddenly. She dropped the news on Sunday, July 12th. A short video was shared. It looked like it was from some kind of private beach proposal. The clip itself is really
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
FIFA World Cup 2026 Referee Controversy: England and Argentina
England and Argentina are set to face off in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final on Wednesday. But there’s one thing everyone knows already whichever team wins the final, the referees won't be from the other country. It just isn't happening. This whole situation comes down to that long argument over
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
Sangh Meeting Outcomes and Focus Areas
The Sangh expressed confidence about the SIT probe, you know? It’s all about those alleged irregularities in counting donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir. They urged the Teerth Kshetra Nyas the management body to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again. They felt it was important,
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
Masked Mourner at Ayatollah Khamenei’s Funeral: Speculation and Revelation
That masked mourner at Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral really got everyone talking about who he was. People online were immediately speculating, wondering if it might have been Mojtaba Khamenei himself in disguise. It just added another layer of mystery to the whole affair. The disappearance of Mojtaba
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
Israeli Political Maneuvering and Public Opinion
The Israeli government is pushing for another election. October 27, 2026. That’s the last date they can legally hold it. Haaretz reported that if they stick to this timeline, Netanyahu’s government will have completed a full term. But there’s a lot of anger simmering underneath all that political ma
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
National Mourning in India Following Passing of Former Qatar Emir
Sunday was a day of national mourning in India. One day, they declared it, following the passing of former Qatar Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani the Father Amir of the State of Qatar. The reaction from New Delhi came quickly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences right away. He cal
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team
India's First Bullet Train and High-Speed Rail Project
Next year’s Independence Day. That’s when India might finally see its first bullet train, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw mentioned on Thursday. He said it’s not going to happen all at once, though. The plan is phased. The initial stretch? Surat-Bilimora. That section of the massive Mumbai-A
Jul 13, 2026 by Gree News Team